


Holy

by cxrose



Category: Frozen (Disney Movies)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Alternate Universe - Modern: No Powers, F/F, F/M, First Meetings, Tags to be added, Useless Lesbians
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-03-07
Updated: 2020-10-20
Packaged: 2021-03-01 00:55:20
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 8,229
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23046619
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/cxrose/pseuds/cxrose
Summary: Title from Holy by King PrincessElsa is part of the boring corporate world, her only breath of *real* being with Anna and Kristoff but one day, a woman brings a new gasp of air into her lungs. Now if she could stop fantasizing and make a move.Modern AU where Anna and Kristoff run a veterinary clinic. Sven is a dog. Ryder is a vet and Maren is (about to be) a doctor and Elsa is in over her head
Relationships: Anna & Elsa (Disney), Anna/Kristoff (Disney), Elsa & Kristoff (Disney), Elsa/Honeymaren (Disney), Honeymaren & Ryder Nattura
Comments: 8
Kudos: 82





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> This is my first published work and so it's also my first multichapter fic. I have a very, very brief outline but poor time management so let's hope I get this up on a regular schedule. I have the first chapter and part of the second chapter written. Hope you enjoy!

august

Elsa pulled into the parking lot of Bjorman’s Veterinary Clinic and let out a deep sigh. Her day had been full of boring men in boring suits in a boring conference room talking about boring things for hours and it was only a little past noon. She turned off her car and grabbed her bag, heading in.

Anna looked up from the desk when the bell above the door rang. She smiled and jumped out of her chair to rush and give her older sister a hug. “Hey! Kristoff is just finishing up with the Houston’s and then we can go?”

“Alright. I was thinking Panera?” Elsa tried to pull out of her sister’s warm embrace but her sister just pulled her closer.

“Oh come on! You’re all nice and cold. It’s like hugging an air conditioner.”

Elsa laughed and wiggled out of her sister’s hug. “Nice comparison. Don’t you guys have an air conditioner in here?”

Anna waved her hand weakly towards the patient room where Kristoff was meeting with his patients. “You know how Kristoff is, he thinks we only need to let it run a couple of times to get the place nice and cool for the patients. And you know I run hot!”

Elsa moved behind the desk and set down her bags and pulled off her blazer leaving her in a light blue sleeveless blouse before making herself comfortable in Anna’s chair. “Where’s Sven?”

Anna looked around the waiting room, searching for the large brown lab. “You know he roams.” She paused before grabbing a bag of treats and shaking it. “Sven? Here boy! Elsa’s here!” In seconds, the dog in question skidded into the lobby and pressed against Anna’s legs. Elsa leaned forward and scratched behind his ears and began to laugh as Sven’s drool began to fall on Anna’s sneakers.

“Hey! Not funny, Elsa.”

“It’s a little bit funny.”

“Ha.” The two sisters continued to bicker until the door opened again, letting in a gust of humid air. The two women silenced themselves and looked up. The new arrivals consisted of a guy in a button-up shirt and mud-covered jeans holding the leash of a golden retriever and a slimmer and slightly shorter woman with a long dark braid wearing a light flannel and ripped jeans repping a gold hoop through her nose and ears full of earrings.

Anna moved forward to greet them while Elsa stayed back, trying to get a better look at them without being too obvious. “Hi, welcome to Bjorgman’s Veterinary Clinic, how may I help you?”

The guy with the dog cleared his throat before he started to talk, “My sister and I were on our way to one of my client’s and I’m afraid my dog got hurt running in the woods. I’m a vet but I don’t work with house pets so I came here because it was the closest vet near us. Would you be able to take a quick look at her if your schedule is free?”

His sister, good. Elsa thought and then scolded herself for thinking that way. She didn’t even know this girl’s name.

“Dr. Bjorgman is currently with a patient but he’ll be out shortly and I’m sure he’ll be able to take a look at….” Anna gestured towards the dog.

“Oh, this is Snow. Snow Nattura.”

“Hello Snow!” Anna knelt down to scratch the dog’s ears before standing back up and leading the man to the scale. “Let’s get you on the scale, would your sister be able to fill out some information about Snow?”

The man looked over at his sister who was still standing at the desk, “Mare, could you take care of the papers?”

“Sure.”

“Elsa, could you hand her-” Anna looked over at her sister who was already putting together the correct papers. “Thanks!”

“Mm-hmm.” Elsa hummed, handing a clipboard and pen over the counter to the woman.

“Thanks.” The girl said softly before leaning over the counter to fill out the papers as quickly as possible.

A few minutes later, Kristoff opened the patient door and walked them over to the desk to take care of the payment before wishing them a good rest of their day. By the time he was done, he found himself looking at Anna, holding a new dog’s leash next to two strangers and his (almost) sister-in-law twisting her wrists, her nervous tendency, in Anna’s chair.

“Dr. Bjorgman, this is Ryder and…” Anna trailed off, realizing that she didn’t know the girl’s name.

“Maren.” The girl said, still holding the clipboard.

“Nice to meet you,” Kristoff said, looking down at the dog. “And this is?”

“This is Snow. I’ll fill you in in the room?” Anna nodded at her fiance before moving into the patient room.

“Mare, you coming in?” Ryder turned and asked his sister.

“I’m just going to wait out here, might get a little warm in there.” Maren stayed at the counter while her brother disappeared into the patient room, Kristoff following and shutting the door.

“I can take that.” Elsa gestured at the clipboard that Maren was still holding.

“Oh, thanks.” Maren handed it over and Elsa noticed that her fingers were also covered in gold rings. Maren wrung her hands over the counter and shifted her eyes up from her hands to Elsa’s face. She hoped she wasn’t being too obvious in looking her over and Elsa was hoping that she wasn’t turning red under the other’s gaze. “Are you a nurse here too?” Maren asked, filling the silence.

“I actually don’t work here. I was just meeting my sister and her fiance for lunch.” Elsa shrugged.

“Oh, I just kind of assumed because you were behind the desk when I came in. Sorry.” Maren looked back down at her hands. “What do you do?”

“I work in the family business. CEO.” Elsa leaned back in the chair and tried to look less prideful about the position.

“Family business?” Maren wondered.

It wasn’t really nepotism. I mean, I would have gotten the job anyway but I kind of got thrown into the position when our parents died.” Elsa looked up into the woman’s golden eyes, wanting to look less like someone who needed to be pitied. “Law.”

“I’m sorry for your loss.” Maren tried to move closer, forgetting for a moment of the counter between the two.

“It’s been almost 6 years.” Elsa sighed. “You can sit back here if you want. It’s a little messy but I’m sure they won’t mind.” She pulled up an extra chair for Maren to sit if she wanted to, which she did.

“Do you all live around here?” Maren asked.

“Kristoff, or Dr. Bjorgman, and Anna live about 15 minutes away. I live downtown. What about you?”

“I live downtown too and Ryder lives over in Northuldra with our Aunt on the family ranch.”

When the patient door opened and Anna entered the lobby, she tried not to freak out at the sight of her sister talking to the woman who had walked in with Ryder. She caught Elsa’s eye and tried to wink before getting Maren’s attention. “Snow will be just fine, Dr. Bjorgman is just wrapping things up with your brother and you should be all set!”

“Great, thank you for taking us so last minute.” Maren stood, suddenly feeling awkward being placed between the sisters.

“Of course, Friday afternoon’s aren’t all that busy for us.” Anna shrugged. She glanced back and forth between the two women before continuing, “so while we wait… What do you do, Maren?”

“I’m currently in med school. I used to help at the family vet practice but there were enough extra hands.” Maren shrugged.

“How far are you? In school?” Anna further questioned while ignoring the icy cold glare that Elsa was sending her way.

“Almost at the end. Testing happens in May and hopefully a year from now I’ll be matched somewhere.”

Elsa opened her mouth to say something but was interrupted by Kristoff and Ryder emerging from the patient room laughing about something. She moved out of Anna’s way so that Anna could take care of the payments (that had major discounts) and stood silently next to Maren until it was time for them to go.

As they began to walk towards the door, Maren turned. “Thanks again for all of this.” She seemed to aim it at everybody but she maintained eye contact with Elsa for an extra moment before turning and following her brother and Snow out of the clinic, disappearing into the remnants of the summer day.

When the door closed, Anna spun towards Elsa and gripped her hand tight. “Oh my god! She totally likes you.”

“Anna!” Elsa gaped. “We had like 10 minutes of interaction.”

“I had 10 minutes of interaction with Kristoff before I knew I liked him.” Anna shrugged and bumped her fiance’s hip. “Right babe?”

“That may be a slight exaggeration-” Kristoff started but once he saw Anna’s bubbling enthusiasm he said, “That sounds right.”

Elsa rolled her eyes and grabbed her blazer from the back of the chair. “Whatever, I’m probably never going to see her again. Now, I’m hungry and I have to make a call around 4. Let’s go.”

Anna nodded and grabbed two sweatshirts from the coathanger and threw Kristoff one while wrapping herself in one before the small family made their way out into the humid air, almost forgetting the Natturas.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> About what Maren says about her med school progress: I know nothing about med school. Everything I know comes from Grey's Anatomy


	2. Chapter 2

august-november

Although Elsa kept denying the fact to her sister, there hadn’t been a day since meeting the Nattura siblings that she hadn’t thought about Maren. She kept remembering the woman’s golden eyes and how they matched her golden jewelry that sparkled just a bit from the sun that poured through the blinds. She kept remembering how smooth but also slightly raspy her voice was and how whenever she listened to Elsa, her mouth was parted just enough for Elsa to get a glimpse at her slightly crooked teeth. Her sister had given her hell for not getting her number and ranted to her about how if Kristoff and Ryder bonded so much then Kristoff should’ve gotten Ryder’s number so that he could get Maren’s number for Elsa and didn’t listen when Elsa told her that that plan seemed a little far fetched.

As the end of the month drew near, Elsa had more and more meetings to wrap up final points in assessments and paperwork due before September began so she had less and less time to take care of things that she needed to. For example, getting enough groceries that she didn’t end up with an empty fridge and cabinets that were basically just full of stale cereal and molded bread. That is what left her rushing from her office to the nearby grocery store just down the block before heading home and also what led her to the best one of her better accidents.

Oaken’s was going to close in 10 minutes so Elsa rushed up and down the aisles getting the essentials for making edible food until at least Friday night. Because she was speeding, she ended up almost colliding with another person’s shopping cart while turning from the frozen pizza aisle to the microwavable dinner aisle.

“I’m so sorry!” Elsa yelped out as she jerked her cart to the side, allowing for the other person to get around her.

“No, you’re all good. I shouldn’t have left my cart in the middle of the-” the voice cut off and Elsa looked towards the person she almost collided with and her breath caught. It was Maren. “Elsa!” She said and then, in a slightly toned down voice added, “this is a surprise.”

“Yeah.” Elsa let out in a breath. “Crazy.” She paused. “I’m just grabbing some food, turns out running late meetings does not allow time to make oneself dinner.”

Maren nodded slowly. She seemed like she wanted to ask something but hesitated. “Um, do you shop here often?”

Elsa shrugged. “A little, my office is just right up the block so I come here after work if I have time. You?”

“Practically every day. My roommate keeps eating all of my food so I’m constantly restocking.”

“Do you live nearby?” Elsa asked and then blushed. Why would she ask that? “Sorry, you barely know me-”

“No, it’s fine. You don’t really feel like a stranger.” Maren locked eyes with Elsa for a moment and once again, Elsa was enthralled by her golden eyes. “I live down a few blocks, right behind that new Chinese restaurant.”

Elsa opened her mouth to say something but was interrupted by sudden feedback over the loudspeaker. Attention guests, Oaken’s Grocery and Miscellaneous is closing now. All guests with items please move to the front of the store and check out! Thanks for shopping with us tonight! “I guess we should head up?” Maren nodded and the two moved side by side, separated into two different lines. After they checked out, Elsa turned towards where her car was parked but turned around to see Maren who was beginning to walk in the other direction. “Have a good night!” She called and Maren turned and flashed a crooked smile.

“You too!” She said before turning and disappearing around the corner. Elsa waited for a moment before turning back and walking towards her car. When she got in the car she called Anna.

“Hey! Are you okay? It’s like almost 11 at night!” Her sister’s voice got more and more frantic by the moment.

“Hi, I’m fine. You’ll never guess what just happened…”

* * *

That following Tuesday began with Elsa being rudely awakened by her cat, Olaf, making his hunger known by meowing loudly at the foot of her bed. “Ok, ok…” she muttered before throwing the sheets off of her and shuffling into the kitchen. She poured a cup of kibble into his bowl and while she waited for his water dish to fill, she checked her phone to see 3 missed calls from Anna. She shut off the water quickly and called her.

Hello?” Anna’s voice said after a couple of rings.

“Oh thank god. Why did you call so many times last night?”

“I was at the Chinese restaurant over by your office last night and- the food is so good by the way, I’m going to make you go- you’ll never guess who I saw!”

Elsa paused, running through a list of people who Anna would call her so many times about but the only person she thought of was Anna’s ex-fiance who was still in prison. “I don’t know. Who?”

“Maren and Ryder!” Anna shrieked, making Elsa hold the phone away from her ear. “I never would have noticed them but Kristoff saw Ryder and called them over. We ended up eating with them, sorta.”

Elsa nodded slowly then realized that Anna couldn’t see her. “Yeah, when I ran into her that one time she said she lived over there.” Anna was silent for a moment. “Anna?”

“You know what, that food was so good! I’m coming downtown for lunch today and we’re going.”

“Anna!” She sighed. “You know, the chances of her being there two days in a row are extremely slim.”

“But not zero!” Anna sing-songed. “Alright, I’ll be at your office at noon! Love you, bye!” And with that, she hung up leaving Elsa startled and alone in her quiet apartment.

Noon could not come any slower. Elsa had an 8:00 meeting regarding a statement that had to go out about blah blah blah that was done by 10, giving her 2 hours to sit in her office doing nothing but spin a pencil around in her hands, watching the bustling city below. At 12:14, her phone dinged with a text from Anna saying that she couldn’t make it to lunch and she was sorry but Elsa should still go because “you never know what might happen!”. Elsa sighed and tossed her phone onto her desk, looking up at the clock. She tapped her foot on the carpeted floor, running her fingers through her loose braid, hiding her face in her other hand. She stayed in that position for a few minutes, until her stomach growled causing her to sit up. Anna was such a clever snake. She shook her head. She had no other food and barely ate breakfast, so of course she needed to go eat. And of course Anna waited until the last possible minute to tell her that she wouldn’t be able to go, knowing that Elsa would be ready and craving Chinese food. She groaned and begrudgingly stood and grabbed her purse and jacket, making her way out of the building. She paused just outside of the glass doors, staring across the street at the restaurant then looked at where her car was parked. She sighed and made her way towards the restaurant coming to the conclusion that if Maren wasn’t there, which she most likely wouldn’t, she would never talk to Anna again.

A bell rang when she opened the door, she looked around briefly, searching for a familiar face. When she was met with nothing, she walked up to the counter to order. She continued to look around once she had her food, making herself comfortable in one of the booths. She pulled out her phone to call Anna but right before she hit the call button, she noticed someone standing next to her. She tensed, bracing herself for an attack. She looked up, expecting a creep but instead was met with a familiar pair of golden eyes.

“Maren,” she sighed, the tension leaving her body. “Hi.”

“Hey. Sorry to spook you. I just came in for a little pick me up of sorts and I noticed you.”

“Do you have somewhere to be?” Elsa asked, trying not to come off as too desperate.

“Nope. I actually just finished a class. I usually come here for lunch, it’s so convenient.” Maren looked back at where the counter was.

"Feel free to join me if you want.” She said, motioning to the empty booth across from her.

“Alright.” Maren gave a small smile. “I’ll be right back.” Elsa watched her go and order, returning with a tray full of small samples. “Have you been here before?” She asked, sliding into the booth.

“No, this is my first time.” Elsa eyed her tray. “Anna recommended it to me after she came here last night.”

“I bet you couldn’t wait another minute. Anna was raving about the food practically all dinner.” Maren laughed, unwrapping a pair of chopsticks.

Elsa swallowed. “Something like that.”

“You know, running into all three of you this past week just reminds me what a small world we live in.” Maren gestured at her tray with her chopsticks. “Feel free to try anything. I can never pick so I just get everything.”

“Huh.” Elsa shrugged, reaching out to grab a noodle hanging partly out of a bowl. “How long has this place been up? I work just across the street, but I hadn’t noticed it until you mentioned it the last time I saw you.”

“Maybe a month or two.” Maren shrugged.

Elsa hummed. The two began to chat about their families, their jobs, and the best food that they’d had that day until their laughs rang through an emptying restaurant and both of their trays were practically empty. Elsa checked her watch while Maren finished off a bowl of vegetable fried rice. It was 1:56pm. She pulled out her phone immediately to check if anybody had emailed her or called her. Unfortunately, someone did. Maren noticed her concerned face and pushed her tray away. “Is everything alright?”

“Yeah… I mean, not really. This was great, I really liked running into you again. There’s just a work emergency. I gotta head back.” Elsa stood, throwing on her jacket and grabbing her bag. She made a move for the tray but Maren waved her off.

“I got it. I’ll see you around.” She gave a smile and a wave that Elsa tried to return before running out, back towards her office.

She didn’t realize until she was in the elevator heading up to her office that she hadn’t gotten Maren’s number. She mentally kicked herself as she headed into her office knowing that she possibly made a royal mistake.

That night, she called Anna who hadn’t stopped texting her about lunch since noon. “Hey,” she started, “you were right…”

* * *

After The Lunch, Anna made it a priority to drag Elsa to the restaurant at least once a week while continuing to berate her about how she had been right and how Elsa definitely should’ve gotten her number after having an hour long non-stop conversation with the woman. This went on a month until Anna began to give up and Elsa began to accept that maybe she wouldn’t see the woman again, at least not in a situation where she’d be able to get her number. It was weird to believe that she could speak so transparently to someone she barely knew just to never see them again. But weird was something that Elsa had also begun to accept in her life.

It was a chilly October afternoon when Elsa and Anna took Sven out for a walk around the clinic while Kristoff dealt with the sad passing of the Houstons’ cat.

“...I just feel so bad, you know? I mean, the poor thing hadn’t displayed any signs- Sven, what are you doing?- it was just so out of the blue.” Anna directed towards her sister who was nodding, looking down at her feet. “Elsa? Hello?”

“Hmm?” Elsa lifted her head. “Sorry, I’m just thinking.”

Anna nodded and slowed down, adding more lax to Sven’s leash. “I know you don’t want to talk about it but-”

Elsa shook her head, “Anna…”

“No seriously, listen. Who knows? You guys have run into each other so much. You never know what might happen! Like, look at me and Kristoff, right?”

“That was different.” Elsa mumbled, looking straight ahead.

“Maybe a little bit. But still, the long run is not a bad thing. In fact, sometimes it’s better than the whole right away thing.”

Elsa shrugged, not wanting to start a fight in the middle of the woods. “Maybe. We should start heading back, aren’t you cold?”

“Eh.” Anna stopped anyway and called Sven over to her. “Let me just give him a couple of runs and then we can go.” She picked up a hefty looking stick and unhooked Sven’s leash. “Alright, go boy!” She called as she threw the stick down the trail. Sven took off and Anna turned back to her sister. “I’ll stop talking about it, alright?”

“It’s fine, Anna.” Elsa shrugged then looked towards Sven who was bounding back with no stick. “Hey bud, where’s your stick?” Sven didn’t respond, instead he just wagged his tail until he had both of the women’s attention before darting back down the path to meet a familiar looking white lab.

“Is that-” Anna began to whisper but was cut off by a guy’s voice.

“Snow! Come back here with the stick!” The lab looked at the girls and then back towards the source of the voice before running to the girls, with Sven on their tail. As the dog grew nearer, Elsa could feel Anna’s excitement build.

“It’s Snow! Oh my god, does the universe have a plan for you sis.” She nudged her sister before dropping down to greet the slobbering dog who had arrived at her feet.

Elsa reached down to absentmindedly pet Sven who had pressed against her leg, watching where the trail curved until two figures appeared. She continued to watch as the two drew nearer, she could feel a blush growing across her pale cheeks as she began to recognize them. It was Ryder and Maren. Oh Universe. Both were bundled up in beanies, a vest, and timberlands but for some reason, the accessories looked so much better on Maren.

“Hey,” Maren called. “Funny running into you two here."

“Yeah, real coincidence.” Ryder smirked, exchanging an all knowing look with Anna. Elsa frowned at her sister before turning back to Maren.

“Hey.” She murmured. She took a deep breath. “I’m-” She stopped herself, looking at their siblings staring at them.

“Sorry, sorry. We’ll go… somewhere.” Anna said before turning and walking in a random direction, taking Sven with. Ryder followed her lead, walking in a different direction.

“So-”

“We should just exchange numbers.” Maren said. Elsa paused. “Make the next meeting something besides the universe or…” She stopped herself before she said something embarrassing.

“No, of course. I was just about to say that.” Elsa tried not to blush further. “Here.” She reached into her pocket and exchanged phones with Maren.

“Honeymaren.” Elsa looked up at Maren after slipping her phone back into her pocket. “I can’t believe that we had a whole lunch together and I didn’t even know your full name.”

Maren shrugged and gave a small smile. “I barely go by it, it’s such a mouthful.”

“I think it’s beautiful.” Elsa averted her eyes. “I should probably go, Kristoff is waiting for us.”

“Alright.” Elsa looked back up to be met with Maren’s golden eyes still staring at her. “I’ll text you.” She waved her phone before turning and calling for Snow.

Elsa smiled and turned away, walking in the direction that Anna had gone.

Elsa spent the rest of the walk fending off Anna’s non-stop questions and made it her purpose to get Kristoff to distract her once they re-entered the clinic. He tasked her with filing something “extremely important” so Elsa could step back outside. She felt her phone buzz and she pulled it out and smiled.

`**Honeymaren: Hey**`


	3. Chapter 3

december

“Hello?” Anna chimed as she poked her head through the door. “Is anybody home?” She entered and set her purse on the kitchen counter, looking into the living room. 

“Anna?” Elsa’s head poked up from the couch. “I thought you were coming over later?”

“Surprise,” Anna said dryly. “It is later.”

“What time is it?”

“4. Well actually 4:30, sorry. I’m late.” She entered the living room and sat in the chair across from Elsa.

“Aren’t you always.” Elsa smirked and sat up, crossing her legs underneath her. “Maren’s here by the way. She’s just in the bathroom.”

“Maren’s here?”

“Isn’t that what I just said? Yeah, I didn’t mean to overlap you guys. I honestly thought it was earlier or you were coming later.”

“I don’t mind her being here. She’s your friend.” Anna raised an eyebrow as her sister frowned.

“She is my friend. Why are you doing that with your face?” 

“This is how my face always looks!” Anna laughed. 

“It is not. I’d remember if your eyebrow looked like it was trying to escape your face.” 

“Rude.” Anna lowered her eyebrow. Her sister shrugged and then looked beyond her sister. Anna turned to see Maren emerging from the bathroom, rubbing her eyes.

“I always forget you have a heated floor. It’s nice.” Maren said, obviously not noticing Anna staring at her. She looked up and paused. “Oh, hi Anna.”

Hey Maren.” Anna tried to hide her smile. “Elsa forgot I was coming over.”

“Yeah…” Elsa admitted, “I did. Well, I thought it was earlier than 4.”

“Time flies when you’re having fun.” Anna smirked back at her sister and was met with a pillow to the face.

“If you want to stay, Anna and I are just baking a little for this party that I have to go to.”

“A party?” Maren questioned, sitting next to Elsa on the couch.

“It’s for the company.” Anna chimed in. She looked at the two women for a moment before thinking of an amazing plan. “It’s tomorrow night. And oh, I forgot to tell you earlier but I can’t come. Oops.”

“Anna!” Elsa gaped. “I already told them I was bringing another person. You can’t back out now!”

“Well, you could always invite another person.” Anna looked back and forth between Elsa and Maren, trying to hint to Elsa but her sister was oblivious. She huffed before turning to Maren and asking, “You don’t happen to be doing anything tomorrow night?”

“Um. My schedule is pretty free.” She looked over at Elsa. “If you don’t mind me coming.”

“Uh, yeah. Sure. I’ll pick you up at 7?” Anna watched the exchange, trying to keep the growing smirk on her face secret. The two had been good friends for a couple of months, they watched movies together and had dinner parties from time to time. Their mutual friends were waiting for the two to announce them being together and sometimes looked to Anna or Ryder for confirmation. They were always let down though since the two had to tell them that, no they were not together, they were just friends. Anna had approached Elsa multiple times with the idea that perhaps they should just go out already, but her sister always shut it down with completely made up and invalid reasons. Anna saw this party as the perfect opportunity to finally push them together, knowing that the pressures of showing up and presenting a stranger to Elsa’s coworkers would get to them, not to mention all the ideas Anna had for what to set her sister up in.

“Are you staying?” Anna interrupted.

Maren looked to Anna and Elsa, checking the clock on the stove. “I should go, leave you two to bond. Ryder wanted to do something tonight and I can’t cancel on him again.” She smiled at the two before moving towards the door. “See you tomorrow.” She whispered before shutting the apartment door behind her, leaving the sisters in silence.

“Anna…” Elsa said, a warning tone evident. “What did you just do.”

“Oh come on, you should be thanking me.” Anna stood, moving out of the way in case her sister chose to throw another pillow. “She’s so amazing, she won’t be scared off by your job if that’s what you’re worried about.”

“I’m not worried.” Elsa sniffed.

“I mean she could handle game night with us, and you know how chaotic it is.”

“Are you calling my job chaotic?” Elsa raised an eyebrow and Anna laughed. “I mean, you’re not wrong but…”

“But what?” Anna said moving into the kitchen. “C’mon we gotta make this stuff.”

“Alright, alright.” Elsa sighed, moving off the couch and joining her sister.

* * *

Anna ended up spending the night, the clinic had no appointments the next morning and she assured Elsa that Kristoff could handle any walk-ins. “Besides, god knows you are going to want me here tomorrow.” Elsa had given her a look of annoyance so Anna followed up with “for the bakery of course.”

Around 3 that afternoon, Elsa got a text from Maren. So how formal is this thing? Anna watched as Elsa texted back, a growing smile on her lips. She let them text back and forth for a minute before she tapped Elsa’s ankle.

“Yeah?” Elsa turned off her phone and looked up, seeing Anna holding an outfit from a hanger in her left hand and shoes in her right. The outfit was a light blue pantsuit and a white silk camisole and the shoes were tall white heels.

“How’s this?”

* * *

“Have fun tonight!” Anna called from Kristoff’s car as they began to drive away. “But not too much fun.”

Elsa watched them go, shaking her head at her sister’s nonsense. “Thanks.” She watched them turn the corner back towards their own home before getting in her own car and pausing behind the wheel, fiddling with her braid. Anna had argued that if Elsa insisted on having her hair in a braid, it had to be loose. She had also pointed out that the outfit would be made if only Elsa added a few accessories such as a simple silver necklace and a ring that Anna had happened to have on. Elsa took a deep breath before she pulled away from the curb and made her way towards Maren’s place.

When she parked in front of Maren’s apartment building, she noticed that the woman in question was standing in front, ready to go. Before she could stop herself, she got out of the car to greet her and almost tripped over herself when she noticed how gorgeous she looked. Maren always radiated a beautiful glow but the outfit she was in tonight managed to magnify it. She was dressed in a simple white blouse and black leather pants with black flats. Her long hair was loose and when she tucked her hair behind her ear, Elsa noticed the small golden earrings that she had in.

“Hey,” Maren smiled and met Elsa halfway, “don’t you look snazzy.”

Elsa laughed, “Snazzy? Why thank you. You look bea- great too.” She turned and got back into the car, hearing Maren follow her lead. Once both parties were in the car, she turned to Maren and smiled.

“What?”

“I’m just surprised you wanted to come. This company is- in Anna’s words- chaotic. I mean the people are nice but it’s kind of overwhelming.”

“Don’t worry, I can handle a bit of chaos. Plus, I like spending time with you.” She matched Elsa’s smile, the two locked eyes for a moment before Elsa turned away, starting the car again.

“Do you want to play some music?”

“Of course!” Maren was still looking at Elsa but turned to get her phone out of her purse, opening her signature playlist and clicking shuffle.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I apologize for the extremely late update, it's been a few months. Hopefully, I'll be able to update this story on a regular basis now that I'm back in school and have a regular schedule.
> 
> The next couple chapters should be longer, this one was me just getting back in the flow of writing this story.


	4. Chapter 4

Maren watched Elsa out of the corner of her eye the whole way from her apartment to the place where the party was being thrown. Maren’s playlist was coming through the radio, but Maren was only listening to Elsa’s soft humming. She was sure that Elsa knew every single song on her playlist by heart now. Maren was proud to say that she had invented Elsa’s music taste, taken something completely empty and filled it with her. 

She had been paying such close attention to Elsa that she hadn’t noticed that the car was stopped until the passenger door opened and a gloved hand reached over to help her out. She took it, looking back at Elsa to see her friend handing over the car keys to a valet. She waited at her car door until Elsa circled around to meet her. Her friend gave her a bright but short smile before leading her up the front steps towards the large front doors. 

When they stepped inside, Maren did her best not to drop her jaw in shock. The entrance hall had vaulted ceilings, the tall ceilings arching up to a sharp peak. Large crystal chandeliers hung down, highlighting anything that dared to sparkle. Women’s dresses shimmered and men’s shoes shined as people moved throughout the manor. She was frozen until she felt a cold and familiar touch on her shoulder. She turned to face her friend. “This place is beautiful.”

“It sure does clean up well.” Elsa agreed, “do you want to grab a drink before we head into the storm?” 

“I suppose I do.” Maren laughed and followed Elsa down a long, well lit hall that eventually led to another large room with tall ceilings and hanging lights. 

“This used to be a ballroom,” Elsa explained, noticing Maren’s widening eyes. This room is the widest in the house so that while people danced in the middle, there would be room to stand on the sides. The only other room that compares might be the art room.” 

“Does your company throw parties here often?” Maren asked, looking away from the architecture and back at her friend’s face.

“Only on the holidays.” Elsa tilted her head. “Why?”

Maren shrugged. “You just seem to know a lot about this place. Did they give you a tour?”

“They didn’t need to,” Elsa turned away, looking for the bar. “This used to be one of my family’s estates.” 

“What?” Maren looked dumbstruck. “Your family used to own this?” 

“Yeah.” Elsa’s eyes locked on the bar and began to walk towards it, Maren had to speed walk to catch up with her. 

“When did they sell it?” 

“Soon after my parents got married, my mother knew that there was no need to own such a large home. They would only come here on get-aways.” Elsa quickly ordered two glasses of rosé. “Once Anna was born, they decided that travelling between two homes was too difficult with 2 children so they decided to donate it to the city.” 

“Wow. It’s beautiful. Do you know how long it had been in the family?”

Elsa frowned, “I used to. I just know it had been with the Arens for generations. Apparently it was my grandfather’s pride and joy.” The bartender slid over the two wine glasses and Elsa gave a quick thank you, tucking some bills in the tip jar, before handing a glass to Maren. “Anyways, enough about my family. I have to make a few hellos, would you like to come with me?” 

“Sure.” Maren smiled and continued to follow Elsa throughout the mansion, weaving between groups of people. She watched as people moved out of the way as they saw Elsa coming. With her white-blonde hair and pale skin, Maren would be able to see her coming from a mile away. 

She barely noticed when Elsa stopped. “Ariana! Frederic! How are you two this evening?” 

An older couple, both dressed in shades of purple and gold, smiled back at her. “We’re doing wonderful. You and your company outdo yourselves every year.” The woman, Ariana, said. 

“Your parents would be very proud.” Frederic added. 

“Thank you, I appreciate that.” Elsa looked between them before looking over at Maren. “This is Maren Nattura, unfortunately Anna was unable to accompany me tonight but Maren was willing to join me instead.” 

The couple was looking at Maren now, Ariana’s smile remained warm. “Nice to meet you Maren. I’m Ariana and this is my husband, Frederic. We were good friends with Elsa and Anna’s parents.” Ariana paused, her eyes twinkling with delight. “How long have you two been together?” 

Elsa, who was in the middle of sipping her wine when she coughed, trying not to drop her glass. Maren quietly took the glass from her, allowing Elsa to cover up her mouth and try not to be too loud. “We’re not.” Elsa made out once the threat of a coughing attack disappeared. “We’re just very good friends.” Maren nodded, trying to keep a smile on her face rather than the look of disappointment. 

"Ah.” Ariana only blinked. “Well, how long have you two been friends?”

“We met back in August.” Elsa explained, taking back her glass. “But we got into permanent contact in November.” 

“We kept running into each other,” Maren continued. “It felt like fate.”

Ariana nodded, “I understand. My daughter and her husband say that often about each other.” She looked past them as if something had caught her eye. “It was lovely talking to you two, I’m sure I’ll see you soon.” She leaned over to press a light kiss to each of Elsa’s cheeks before disappearing into the crowd with Frederic at her side.   
Maren glanced over at Elsa who’s cheeks were slightly red. She cleared her throat, “They were friendly.”

“They normally are. They come from a smaller city, everyone seems to know each other there.” Elsa took another sip of her wine before moving on to another group of people. Elsa’s rounds of greetings took about a whole straight hour. Eventually, Elsa led Maren out to the front patio that surrounded the steps that went back down to the driveway. 

The two stood in silence, looking up at the dark sky. They were still too close to the city to see many stars but a few shone through here and there. Maren slowly finished the last of her 3rd glass of wine while Elsa was still holding her 1st. After some time had passed, Maren could feel eyes on her. Maren turned her head to see Elsa staring at her. “What?” She laughed.

“Do you want to get out of here?” 

Maren steadied herself before nodding. “Thought you’d never ask.” She set down her wine glass and Elsa followed her lead before the two women headed back down the front stairs to collect their car.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This one came quick and hopefully the next few will as well. I have a lot of chapters partially written, the hardest part is just finishing them...


	5. Chapter 5

“You know,” Maren said from her door, “despite the crowds, I had a really fun time tonight.”

Elsa stopped her retreat down the hall and slowly moved back towards where Maren was standing. “Yeah? That’s good.”

Maren hummed and stepped out into the hallway, leaving her hand on the door to keep it from locking again. “Do you want to come in for a minute?” Elsa didn’t speak, she just nodded and Maren reached out a hand which she gladly took. 

“I don’t think I’ve been in your apartment more than maybe 3 times.” Elsa said once her jacket was off and hung on the back of a living room chair. “I think your roommate was always home…”

“She moved out a couple weeks ago. Family emergency.” Maren interrupted from the kitchen. “Do you want some tea?”

“Does that need a response?” Elsa laughed as she joined her friend in the kitchen.

“Right, you and your caffeine.” Maren shook her head as she took two mugs down from a shelf. 

“Your apartment is…” Elsa couldn’t find the words. The apartment was very Maren. Her furniture was mostly made up of exposed wood and eccentric material, she had plants in almost every window, and fairy lights covered the walls. The previous times she had been in the apartment, she hadn’t been there long enough to look around.

Maren didn’t mention her friend’s sentence ending partly through and instead placed a hot cup of tea in front of her, she sat on the table and shrugged. “I try.” 

Elsa looked back at Maren, trying not to jump out of her seat and express to her exactly how she felt. Maren’s mascara had begun to flake off, some of it landed on her cheeks which, under the kitchen light, Elsa could make out the patterns of freckles she had become so aware of. She brushed a finger under Maren’s eye to remove one large clump that had been bothering her a majority of the night. Maren looked down in shock of the coldness that had touched her face and set down her cup, grabbing Elsa’s hand.

“You’re freezing.” She whispered and hopped off the table. “Come on, I’ll get you warmed up.” With Elsa’s hand still in hers, she tugged her friend into the living room where she threw blankets at her. “A couple of these should do the trick.” 

“You know I run cold! Besides, the cold never bothered me anyway.” Elsa said despite accepting the blankets.

Maren disappeared back into the kitchen only to emerge a few seconds later with their tea. She plopped down next to Elsa and offered her cup which Elsa gladly took. Their hands brushed for a moment and Maren tried not to smile. They drank their tea in silence, watching out the front window as the downtown lights began to flicker off. 

“Thanks for coming tonight.” Elsa spoke quietly. “I know it’s pretty overwhelming.”

Maren turned to look at her. “No, it was nice. I’m sort of glad that Anna couldn’t go, otherwise I never would’ve seen that house.” 

“I could’ve shown you some other time.” Elsa shrugged, pulling her feet up to rest beneath her, pushing her closer to Maren. 

“I didn’t even know it existed.” Maren murmured, looking back out the window. Elsa just nodded, taking another drink. 

“I should probably head back home.” Elsa said, breaking the silence again. “Olaf requires me to feed him as early as possible.” She slowly made her way off the couch and placed the cup on the table. “Thanks for the tea. I’ll call you tomorrow?”

Maren stood as well, “Yeah.” She followed her friend to the door and offered her jacket.

“Thank you.”

“Goodnight.” Maren whispered as Elsa moved to walk down towards the elevator, still facing Maren.

“Night.” Elsa gave a small smile. “I’ll call you tomorrow.” 

“Not too early.” Maren smiled. “You early riser.” 

“Hey! Old habits die hard.” Elsa said as she reached behind her to press the down button on the elevator. 

“I suppose they do.” The two women held each other’s gaze for a moment before the elevator chimed. Elsa turned to look behind her and when she looked back, Maren was making her way down the hall with purpose. “This has been driving me crazy,” Maren muttered as she drew nearer.

“What?” Elsa asked but didn’t move.

Maren stopped in front of her, just a couple of inches away. So close that Elsa could almost feel the warmth radiating from her body. “Maybe it’s just me but… I feel like… I don’t want to be just your friend anymore.”

Elsa nodded. She knew that if she tried to say anything, it would come out like word vomit. “I feel the same way.”

“Thank god.” Maren sighed. She reached out and touched Elsa’s cheek gently, the taller woman shivered slightly. “I just… If I let you leave without kissing you…”

“I know.” Elsa whispered. 

Golden eyes met blue for a moment before the two women surged together, meeting each other with a gentle, but passionate, kiss. Elsa could feel it all the way from the top of her head, where she was sure the neurons in her brain were rapidly firing, all the way to the tips of her toes. She tried her best not to shiver against the other woman but when she did, she pushed harder into the kiss. She ran her hands down from Maren’s arms which were wrapped around her neck, down to hold a firm grip on Maren’s waist. It seemed to last forever but it ended with them pulling away with the need for air. Elsa leaned in and pressed her forehead against Maren’s and smiled. 

“I think you just got locked out.” She said, blindly gesturing towards the door. 

Maren shrugged, keeping her eyes trained on Elsa. “Guess I’ll have to come over.” 

“I guess so.” Elsa hummed before moving into the elevator, bringing Maren with her.

* * *

The curtains were open so the sun that was set directly over the tree in front of Elsa’s window, was sending sharp fragments of light into Elsa’s bedroom, and straight into her eyes. She blinked slowly and brought a hand up to her face to shield her eyes. She sat up slowly, about to go and close the curtains when she felt how the sheets rubbed on her body. She paused and looked around, suddenly remembering where she was and who was with her. She looked to her right with a small smile on her face. There, deeply asleep on her stomach, dark hair splayed like a halo on the pillow, her back bare, and legs covered by the thin cotton sheets, laid Maren. Elsa tried not to expand her smile more than what was presently on her face, so she laid back down, curled facing Maren, hiding her face in her pillow. She closed her eyes, trying to ignore the sun and focusing on Maren, the slight smell of jasmine and pine with an earthy undertone along with the mild and faint smell of sweat. She let herself slip back into unconsciousness, dreaming about the girl who slept right next to her. 

When she woke again, she ended up staring into golden eyes. She smiled and lifted her head slightly. “Good morning.”

“Morning.” Maren whispered. 

The two women laid there, letting the sun that poured through the window send warmth that stretched over them. They talked a little bit, slowly and softly, but allowed the morning to stretch on. The ringing of a phone on the floor pulled them out of the morning daze.

Elsa sat up quickly and threw the sheets off of her, moving to the piles of clothes on the floor, searching for her phone. She sat on the floor, pulling a blanket off the bed to cover her as she answered it.

“Hello?” 

Anna’s voice rang through the phone, loud enough that Elsa had to hold the phone away from her ear to prevent damage to her eardrums. “So it’s almost noon and you haven’t talked to me at all since I left your apartment yesterday. So I’m either about to get really really good news, or-” She paused, not wanting to cause her sister to cry if something bad had happened.

Elsa turned slightly to look at Maren who was sitting up in the bed, looking down with a confused look on her face. “Everything is fine. Listen, I’ll call you later okay? Thanks for checking in, love you.” She quickly hung up before her sister could say anything else that might bring a deep shade of red to her cheeks. She tossed her phone on the ground before moving back towards the bed, still wrapped in a blanket. “Anna.” She said, without further explanation.

“Ah.” Maren smiled. “Do you want breakfast?”

“Of course.” Elsa smiled back.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I have literally no excuse for the gap between chapter updates. I get bursts of inspiration but by the time I get to my computer they're gone. I have no more chapters that are mostly written so the next one probably won't be coming for a while. 
> 
> Get ready because after the honeymoon phase, the real plot starts!
> 
> Thanks for reading!

**Author's Note:**

> Hope you enjoyed!


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